After leafing through my last batch of monthly gun-related magazines, I noticed something seemed to be missing. There were the usual evaluations of the latest AR rifles with their endless options and attachments. Another fine crop of semi-auto handguns was examined and described in detail. Expensive rifles engineered specifically for lobbing bullets at ridiculous ranges were again represented along with glowing reports.

So what might be missing from most of these articles, ads and conversations in a summer month? I saw only one brief article about a “varmint” rifle. No need for 20- or 30-round magazines or Star Wars lookalike technology here. Just a very accurate rifle built for the purpose of eliminating unwanted pests, usually from a considerable distance, fits my definition and there seemed to be a time when all hunters and shooters wanted such a weapon.

My own evolution into a varmint hunter started with a .222 and a modest scope. Then there was experimentation with lots of guns, calibers and scope combinations until I settled on my all-time favorite, a 40X Remington in 22-250 caliber with a 15X scope (shown with my dad, the late Jim Sager, in the accompanying photo.)

Of course, any rifle, shotgun, or even a handgun can be used as a varmint gun, given the right conditions. What I refer to here is the classic, super accurate rifle equipped with a high quality, high magnification scope. It will be of a caliber that can reach a grazing woodchuck across a field measuring several hundred yards and yet shoot a lightly constructed bullet that will self-destruct when it hits its target or the ground. This feature, of course, prevents damage to nearby property, farm animals, equipment, etc. from wildly bouncing bullets after impact with dirt and rocks.

Depending on where you’re standing geographically at the moment, a varmint can be a wide variety of animals, often rodents, that are considered pests or vermin. Critters as diverse as rats in a barn; coyotes, foxes or bobcats in a hen house; raccoons or crows in a cornfield; prairie dogs, rock chucks, or jackrabbits out west. Recent serious problems with the destructive feral hogs in our southern states is another example.

This wide variety of animals, as well as the distances where they are likely to be encountered, indicates the array of firearms that might be suited to the task. I’m sure a lot of rats have been shot by a kid on the farm with a .22 rifle. On the larger end of the scale, I’m sure a lot of coyotes and hogs are killed each year with a favorite deer rifle when the opportunity arises.

For most of us in this part of the country varmint hunting in the summer means sniping at woodchucks that cause a certain amount of heartburn for our farmer friends. Many valuable lessons are learned when attempting shots at a small, furry target several hundred yards out. As our knowledge of equipment, bullet trajectories and shooting techniques increases, so can the effective range of our successful shots at game.

For folks interested in the quest for rifle accuracy, it’s worth pointing out that there is a close and necessary relationship intertwined between calibers, optics, ammunition, bench rest shooting and skill level. It’s only logical that as cartridges and rifle construction improved over the years, varmint hunters searched for the equipment that allowed them to make consistent hits at longer ranges. I think it’s fair to say that groundhogs and their fellow pests have unwittingly contributed to the evolution of accurate rifles and ammunition, which includes commercial ammo and the components available to the reloader.

Even if you’re not into reloading, I imagine most people walking through gun shops in our country can recognize the famous green boxes of RCBS equipment. I wonder how many of today’s shooters know that RCBS, in business since 1943, stands for Rock Chuck Bullet Swage. Thanks, rock chucks.

You’ve probably bought your new hunting license for the year and maybe sent for your doe permit, all of which got you thinking about the coming hunting seasons. So, if you’re wondering what to do on a nice summer evening, get permission to hunt where you can stretch your shots a bit and get in some interesting long-range shooting. Your old .222, .243, 22-250 or whatever you have would love to get out of the house. This is a great sport for young hunters to learn some patience and marksmanship and an activity that doesn’t require a lot of hill climbing exertion for older hunters.

If you have a vegetable (or flower) garden, I don’t have to tell you about the damage that one varmint can do in just one visit. Close-range work like that might require a different weapon, but then again, you can never have too many varmint rifles.

(Roger Sager is an Era outdoor columnist and can be reached at rogerjsager@gmail.com.)